Texas Heart Institute journal
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Chronic tricuspid valve insufficiency secondary to blunt chest trauma is rare in the pediatric population, with fewer than 10 cases reported. Surgical repair has focused on the tricuspid valve. We present 2 cases of traumatic tricuspid valve insufficiency in pediatric patients after blunt chest trauma in whom tricuspid valve repair was performed along with superior cavopulmonary anastomosis. To our knowledge, this is the 1st report of the use of this combination of surgical procedures for repair of traumatic tricuspid regurgitation in either adults or children.
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Electrical injury can cause a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation as a result of such injury is fairly rare, however, and is rarer still in cases of low-tension electrical injury. We present the case of a patient who developed acute atrial fibrillation in association with low-voltage electrical injury, which resolved after the intravenous administration of digoxin.
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Patients who have dialysis-dependent renal disease frequently present with coronary artery disease but are considered at high risk for coronary artery bypass grafting. From 1 September 2000 through 31 August 2003, we performed complete off-pump coronary revascularization in 6 patients who had end-stage dialysis-dependent renal failure, and we prospectively studied the perioperative and early postoperative results. The effect of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting on mortality, morbidity, postoperative complications, and transfusion requirements in this group of patients was investigated. ⋯ The mean duration of follow-up was 172 +/- 12.4 months. Patients with dialysis-dependent chronic renal failure who present with coronary artery disease should be thoroughly evaluated preoperatively for risk factors and coexistent severe diseases. We believe that in patients with end-stage dialysis-dependent chronic renal failure, off-pump coronary revascularization is a good alternative.
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Case Reports
Transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale in an adult with hypoxemia after cardiac transplantation.
We describe a case of refractory hypoxemia secondary to a patent foramen ovale immediately after orthotopic heart transplantation in a 60-year-old woman. The patent foramen ovale was successfully closed with a septal occlusion device, with resolution of the hypoxemia. To our knowledge, transcatheter closure of a patent foramen ovale in an adult patient with refractory hypoxemia during the immediate post-transplant period has not previously been reported.
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Case Reports
Vasoplegic syndrome after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: an unusual complication.
We report the case of a 65-year-old man who developed norepinephrine-resistant vasoplegic syndrome after elective off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). The failure of norepinephrine to improve the patient's hemodynamics prompted us to start treatment with vasopressin; within 30 minutes, the hemodynamics began to improve. ⋯ To our knowledge, ours is the 1st report of vasopressin use for vasodilatory shock after OPCAB in the English-language medical literature. Herein, we discuss the pathophysiology and management of vasoplegic syndrome--which is controversial--with special emphasis on the use of vasopressin in this situation.